"That rascal Ayrton will have no cause to complain," cried he in his enthusiasm. "The island is a paradise!"
"Yes," replied Harry Grant, "a paradise for three poor sailors whom Heaven sheltered here. But I regret that Maria Theresa is not a large and fertile island, with a river instead of a rivulet, and a harbor instead of a coast so exposed to the force of the waves."
"And why, captain?" asked Glenarvan.
"Because I would have laid here the foundation of that colony that I wish to present to Scotland."
"Ah!" said Glenarvan. "Then you have not abandoned the idea that has made you so popular in your native land?"
"No, my lord; and God has saved me, through your instrumentality, only to permit me to accomplish it. Our poor brothers of old Caledonia shall yet have another Scotland in the New World. Our dear country must possess in these seas a colony of her own, where she can find that independence and prosperity that are wanting in many European empires."
"That is well said, captain," replied Lady Helena. "It is a noble project, and worthy of a great heart. But this island——?"
"No, madam, it is a rock, only large enough to support a few colonists; while we need a vast territory, rich in all primitive treasures."
"Well, captain," cried Glenarvan, "the future is before us! Let us seek this land together!"
The hands of both men met in a warm clasp, as if to ratify this promise. All now wished to hear the story of the shipwrecked sailors of the Britannia during those two long years of solitude. Harry Grant accordingly hastened to satisfy the desires of his new friends, and began as follows: